ap

Skip to content
Historic Colorado marble quarry back in business
Sunday, October 11th 2026

Trending:

Business

Historic Colorado marble quarry back in business

Workers at the Yule Marble Quarry, in Marble, Colorado, atop a 270-ton stone which may be used to replace the Tomb of the Unknowns in Arlington National Cemetery. The stone was tipped on Wednesday, using a crane. Two previous attempts have uncovered distinctively-veined marble, which could not be used for the new tomb. The quarry produced the marble used in the original tomb in 1931, but it cracked, allowing water to seep in. The crack was first noticed in the 1940's and has grown over the years, as water inside froze and expanded each winter. It now reaches almost entirely through the block, which is why it needs to be replaced. Wednesday's "tipping" revealed a nearly perfect stone, which has a good chance of being selected as the replacement.
Workers at the Yule Marble Quarry, in Marble, Colorado, atop a 270-ton stone which may be used to replace the Tomb of the Unknowns in Arlington National Cemetery. The stone was tipped on Wednesday, using a crane. Two previous attempts have uncovered distinctively-veined marble, which could not be used for the new tomb. The quarry produced the marble used in the original tomb in 1931, but it cracked, allowing water to seep in. The crack was first noticed in the 1940’s and has grown over the years, as water inside froze and expanded each winter. It now reaches almost entirely through the block, which is why it needs to be replaced. Wednesday’s “tipping” revealed a nearly perfect stone, which has a good chance of being selected as the replacement.
By | newsroom@denverpost.com | The Denver Post
PUBLISHED: | UPDATED:
Getting your player ready...

MARBLE — A Colorado quarry that has produced marble for the Lincoln Memorial and the Tomb of the Unknowns is back in business. Yule Marble Quarry reopened in November under new ownership after a 10-month closure.

The Aspen Daily News reports that Enrico Locati Luciani of Carrara, Italy, bought the quarry from Canadian-based Polycor in October.

Polycor closed the underground quarry because of the recession and transportation costs. Luciani has strong ties to the European market, which the quarry says is robust.

The quarry’s distinctive marble, described as breathtakingly white, was discovered in the 1870s. Its development was boosted in 1905 by an investment involving the Rockefeller family. The Associated Press; Denver Post file photo

More in Business